schizophrenia?!

[debbiegarland]

I didn't really know what forum to put this in but it's health related.  

I saw an article about how having cats as a young child is related to the child having schizophrenia later in life.  Anyone know about this? How accurate is it? It's making me kinda nervous. 

I guess this is more human health related than cat related, but just wondering about other people's thoughts on it.  

 

[hexiesfriend]

I have never heard of such a thing where did you read it?

 

[stephenq]

 
I didn't really know what forum to put this in but it's health related.  

I saw an article about how having cats as a young child is related to the child having schizophrenia later in life.  Anyone know about this? How accurate is it? It's making me kinda nervous. 

I guess this is more human health related than cat related, but just wondering about other people's thoughts on it.  

Completely untrue.  Cats also don't steal babies breath, black cats aren't bad luck, and there are articles that will support any idea but that doesn't make them true.  Don't be nervous, you're buying into witchcraft, literally.

 

[IndyJones]

Completely untrue.  Cats also don't steal babies breath, black cats aren't bad luck, and there are articles that will support any idea but that doesn't make them true.  Don't be nervous, you're buying into witchcraft, literally.

Although in Japan black cats are good luck.

 

[debbiegarland]

Ok I know it may seem crazy but if you just google it there are so many articles about it.  There have even been numerous studies on it and there was some study done in the 1970s that found that some 50 percent of people with schizophrenia had cats in their childhood.  The bacteria found in cat poop, T. gondii,  is associated with schizophrenia patients.  

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

The OP is referencing Torrey and Simmons:

https://www.google.com/search?q="E.+Fuller+Torrey"+"Wendy+Simmons"&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

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[IndyJones]

Ok I know it may seem crazy but if you just google it there are so many articles about it.  There have even been numerous studies on it and there was some study done in the 1970s that found that some 50 percent of people with schizophrenia had cats in their childhood.  The bacteria found in cat poop, T. gondii,  is associated with schizophrenia patients.  

Only bacteria in know of other than the usual poop germs is toxoplasmosis which is a real thing. It only affects pregnant and nursing mothers though.

 

[debbiegarland]

I did see that but I also read that the bacteria could effect children when their brains are going through critical periods of development in their lives.  

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Only bacteria in know of other than the usual poop germs is toxoplasmosis which is a real thing. It only affects pregnant and nursing mothers though.

You might be interested in reading through the layman's synopsis:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cat-parasite-toxoplasma-gondii-linked-to-mental-illness-schizophrenia/

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[debbiegarland]

Thanks, interesting article, though it seems to suggest there is a possible link.  

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

 
Thanks, interesting article, though it seems to suggest there is a possible link.  

It draws that conclusion based upon the control group, yes.  Whether it's accurate or a simple manipulation of statistics, I certainly can't say for certain, but for anyone to simply claim it untrue without research which surpasses that five year study already completed seems ill-advised.  Discount nothing in science until you have questioned it, examined it, and tried to replicate the body of evidence.

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[foxden]

D debbiegarland
This research only suggests a link. They don't have information that shows how many people have childhood cats and DON'T develop schizophrenia.

It's fairly easy to look at relatively small samples of people, such as people with schizophrenia, and then say, how many people had cats?
Cats are not necessarily the trigger for this set of people. There can be a genetic component to schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, so maybe the parents had a tendency to like cats.

I couldn't get access to the journal article, so I don't know if they tested the patients for toxoplasmosis and used that information, or what method they used to select a sample.

This research only found a correlation, not causation.

It's kind of like asking if you grew up in a single family house or in an apartment or duplex.

Since the researchers started with people already diagnosed with schizophrenia, you cannot draw a conclusion about the origin of the illness.

 

[abyeb]

I have heard of this and to be honest never thought much of it, because, as another poster said, that research only suggested a link, which, has very recently been disproven! So us cat lovers are in the clear!

I'll attach a link to this article...

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cats-don-t-cause-mental-illness-study-finds-n723866

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

@Debbiegarland
This research only suggests a link. They don't have information that shows how many people have childhood cats and DON'T develop schizophrenia.

It's fairly easy to look at relatively small samples of people, such as people with schizophrenia, and then say, how many people had cats?
Cats are not necessarily the trigger for this set of people. There can be a genetic component to schizophrenia and other mental illnesses, so maybe the parents had a tendency to like cats.

I couldn't get access to the journal article, so I don't know if they tested the patients for toxoplasmosis and used that information, or what method they used to select a sample.

This research only found a correlation, not causation.

It's kind of like asking if you grew up in a single family house or in an apartment or duplex.

Since the researchers started with people already diagnosed with schizophrenia, you cannot draw a conclusion about the origin of the illness.

The entire study can be read in a matter of hours (JSTOR: $35.95) as can be the Johns Hopkins rebuttal:

http://www.schres-journal.com/article/S0920-9964(15)00425-9/abstract

(also $35.95), but as noted, it's germane to a particular control group.  There are Grant Applications on the authors' behalf evident online, but no hint that a second, more comprehensive study is being - or will be - funded as far as I could tell.

.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

I have heard of this and to be honest never thought much of it, because, as another poster said, that research only suggested a link, which, has very recently been disproven! So us cat lovers are in the clear!

I'll attach a link to this article...

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cats-don-t-cause-mental-illness-study-finds-n723866

Dr. Francesca Solmi's research apparently prompted the Johns Hopkins rebuttal.

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[1CatOverTheLine]

This proves that cats only make us crazy.

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[hexiesfriend]

There seems to be something missing in these studies. What about family history? I know several mentally ill people and none had cats as children. Out of the several I know why isn't there at least one? I love cats don't get me wrong but I can see a mentally ill person picking a cat over a dog as a pet. Maybe these kids' parents had mental illness that they passed to their children and they happened to pick a cat as a family pet over a dog because cats need less care, attention and make less noise than dogs.

 

[foxden]

The entire study can be read in a matter of hours (JSTOR: $35.95) as can be the Johns Hopkins rebuttal:

http://www.schres-journal.com/article/S0920-9964(15)00425-9/abstract

(also $35.95), but as noted, it's germane to a particular control group.  There are Grant Applications on the authors' behalf evident online, but no hint that a second, more comprehensive study is being - or will be - funded as far as I could tell.

.

OK, the abstract wouldn't load on my phone, and I'm not that eager to spend $70 to read the full articles.

I just wanted to describe a difference between correlation and causation. Just because a correlation exists does not prove one factor leads to the other.

hexiesfriend
I think family history is hugely under reported in mental health.
There is still a taboo about mental illnesses, and a patient may never know that aunt or uncle was treated for anything.

 

[Kieka]

Just for a personal view on the matter. My uncle is a paranoid schizophrenic and there were no pets in his home growing up.

Sounds more like someone looking for a common factor and grasping at straws. The simple fact is they aren't sure why people develop schizophrenia any more then why people are autistic. So just like people try to find common things with autistic kids and point to that as a cause someone is trying to find a common thread with schizophrenics.

Personally, I think mental disorders are getting more reported and diagnosed not more prevalent. Both sides of my family have family records going back to the 1700s. If you look through them there are signs of problems. I know recent there is the schizophrenia in my uncle and a great uncle and other side has a bipolar grandma. I am fairly sure my great grandpa around 1900 had something as he insisted all the children be named single letter names so they wouldn't stand out. His daughter Y apparently had a great disposition because of having to roll with answering "what is your name?" "Y", got arrested for it too a few times in the 1930s.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Just for a personal view on the matter. My uncle is a paranoid schizophrenic and there were no pets in his home growing up.

Sounds more like someone looking for a common factor and grasping at straws.

I think it somewhat more likely that the researchers were grasping at grant money.

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